5 observations: Arizona State 55, UCLA 34

Was this Black Friday or Groundhog Day? Here are five observations from UCLA's 55-34 loss at Arizona State:

1. Who are U-CLA?

We've seen this from UCLA before, right? You think UCLA is one thing and then it proves to be something totally different.

Yet what the Bruins did against Arizona State was actually groundbreaking; their startling inconsistency had never before taken fold quite like it did against Arizona State. It usually happens from one game to the next, not quarter to quarter and possession to possession.

When UCLA jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter there was nothing from this season that would suggest it'd lose. Not once this season have the Bruins come back from a double-digit lead and not once have they given one up. They typically save the other half of their split personality for the following game.

At halftime, with ASU leading 21-20, I thought to myself, the Bruins could win by blowout (WSU) or down to the wire (OSU), or lose big (Stanford) or close (Arizona). Anything was in play. There was no room for surprise because we've seen everything from the Bruins.

Or so we thought. UCLA somehow replicated last week's demoralizing loss to Washington, only in a more magnified fashion. The dropped passes, missed tackles and poor decisions were all there. It was a stunning effort from a team whose bowl eligibility was on the line.

2. A change is gonna come

Coach Rick Neuheisel called unnecessary attention to himself and the program when evading questions this week about the future of offensive coordinator Norm Chow. He said he will need to “evaluate” Chow's standing.

I'm guessing he will take a hard look at a few other things as well, namely the Pistol offense and the defense.

The Bruins just allowed a season-high 595 yards and 55 points to an Arizona State team that replaced its starting quarterback midway through the first quarter. The Internet doesn't have the capacity for one to explain all that's wrong with that.

The Sun Devils did nearly all of that damage in just about three quarters of play, scoring on nine of 11 possessions at one point. They had three plays from scrimmage that went for at least 70 yards as they were able to exploit both UCLA's pass and run defense.

UCLA had given up more than 250 yards in four of its past five games. It allowed 211 against to Arizona State but 6.6 yards per carry. Quarterback Brock Osweiler's 380 passing yards were easily the most by a UCLA opponent this season.

Then there's the Pistol. It was Neuheisel's call in the offseason for UCLA to adopt this new offense. While it seemed to be a success early in the season, we're seeing a much different story take shape as we conclude 2010.

The Bruins again struggled to run the ball. They haven't topped 4.0 yards per carry since September. In four of their past six games, they haven't topped 3 yards. That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if UCLA was a dynamic passing team, except it came into Friday's game ranked 117th in the nation.

We'll wait to see whether UCLA goes 4-8 or 5-7 before speculating on Neuheisel's job status.

3. Broken record

Quarterback Richard Brehaut's 33 completions were a school record. So were his 56 attempts. Yet he threw for just 321 yards (a mediocre 5.7 yards per attempt) largely because of conservative playcalling. UCLA could have stepped on the Sun Devils' throat but played not to lose.

You thought things would be different when Brehaut hit Randall Carroll for a 46-yard touchdown over the top of the ASU defense to give UCLA a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. But the Bruins returned to their predictable ways and punted on their next four possessions.

UCLA took way too long to realize the running game was going nowhere. Take away Johnathan Franklin's 55-yard touchdown on the fourth play from scrimmage and the Bruins tallied 66 yards on 29 carries, a 2.3-yard average. That left UCLA in a plethora of second- and third-and-long situations that it wasn't able to convert.

We saw UCLA take the same approach last week after scoring first against Washington. In fact, the first two-and-a-half quarters of this game played out like a slightly more efficient version of that game. Not until ASU took a 31-20 did the Bruins regain a sense of urgency again on offense. By then it was too late, of course.

4. Not so special

Neuheisel came into the season expecting to have a “special” special teams unit. Only punter Jeff Locke has held up his end of the bargain. Kai Forbath missed another field goal, a 53-yarder he luckily retried after a questionable penalty.

He made the second attempt, as well as an earlier attempt, but something has been off with him all season. Even before he attempted the 53-yarder, not that that is an easy kick, you got the sense he'd miss it.

The return teams have been almost nonexistent. Transfer Josh Smith was supposed to fly but has been grounded. Coming into Friday, the Bruins' 20.9-yard KO return average was ninth in the conference. They're seventh in PR average, thanks to punt “catcher” Taylor Embree. UCLA has been content with his production despite having a number of other options.

The coverage teams have been solid but it only takes one play for that to change. ASU's Jamal Miles made that play. After UCLA cut its deficit to 31-27 late in the third quarter Miles returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown.

5. The Crosstown Character Bowl

A rivalry is a rivalry is a rivalry. Pride will always abound when it comes to USC and UCLA, even with nothing on the line. What is essentially a bowl game for both teams, the X-factor will be which team responds better to disappointment.

There's UCLA, which has nothing to play for and might be emotionally scarred after being beat up by two of the three worst-teams in the conference (other than itself) in consecutive weeks. And there's USC, which set multiple goals this season (from going unbeaten, to winning the conference to winning 10 games) to stay motivated and has repeatedly fallen short.

The Trojans' big advantage, however, is that they always knew their season would end at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins thought there would be more, particularly coming off a three-win improvement and bowl victory in 2009.

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